This is a story I actually wrote probably 7 years ago originally. It has been posted elsewhere, but I decided to re-edit it once again and try to make it a bit better and share it here. It's a bit on the melodramatic and sappy side, but since I took the time to write it, I might as well post it anyway, right? Please let me know what you think and hope you enjoy reading it!

Nobody ever said starting a new government was going to be easy, and Leia Organa Solo – seated in front of her data pad and attempting to finish up her work for the day - was just the one for the job. Feeling a slight headache from staring at the glowing screen for much longer than was recommended, she wondered for about the hundredth time why she had ever agreed to it in the first place. Life would've been so much simpler if she lived a nice, low profile life somewhere with her husband of two years, Han. But the thought of those days full of meaningless duties made her cringe. As much as she sometimes hated to admit it, this was where she belonged, even though it would've been nice to take a break every once in a while.

She had been sifting though numerous documents for just over an hour while Han was busy making some last-minute repairs on the Falcon before he shipped off the following day on a mission of his own. She had promised to make him dinner for his last night at home. Scratch that; she promised dinner would be there for him when he arrived. She may have been a brilliant politician, but she was far from proficient in the culinary arts. Fortunately, Han understood that and compensated accordingly, making dinner whenever it was possible. But this time she was giving him a break before he had to leave.

Just as she powered down the datapad the door chimed, signaling the arrival of dinner. She had ordered from Han's favorite Corellian restaurant, knowing he would prefer that to anything she might attempt to cook, and because she knew what it was like to be stuck eating rations aboard a ship for a week or so. You were always better off leaving with a full stomach.

After transferring the appropriate amount of credits to the delivery droid, she inhaled the aroma of the Corellian-spiced beef that Han loved so much. In the years they had spent together, Han had turned her into quite a fan of it as well, and she felt her own stomach growl in anticipation. Finding it difficult to resist starting without him, she took her time to carefully set the food out on the table and ignite the tall, lavender candles in the center. The meal looked as though she had prepared it herself, but she knew it would never fool Han. He knew her well enough to know that she would never be able to make anything that good. He didn't fault her for that, though, since she made up for it in so many other areas.

She had taken the time earlier to carefully select a bottle of wine that would perfectly accent the cuisine she had chosen, and pulled the chilled bottle from the cooling unit. She had just managed to set it out on the table when she heard her husband returning home. "Hi, sweetheart, I'm home," he yelled from the doorway.

"I've missed you, dear. I spent all day slaving over a hot stove to prepare this wonderful meal for you," Leia responded sarcastically.

"Well, it looks delicious. Which obviously means you had nothing to do with it."

"I did, too!" As Han looked at her skeptically, she added, "I ordered it, and I even paid for it."

"That's good enough for me." Han's voice softened. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

She walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a quick kiss. "I'm happy to do it. Don't want to have my husband flying off on an empty stomach. Besides, I was hungry too."

"Good, because I'm starved."

"Well, you've come to the right place." She slipped her hand into his and led him over to the dimly lit table.

"It looks great," Han said. "And you're not so bad yourself."

"Well, thanks. But you need to sit down and eat. Then you can tell me how wonderful I look."

"Don't worry, I plan to."

The meal was just as delicious as it looked, and once they had finished eating, they laughed and drank wine and did their best to pretend that they weren't once again about to be separated. It may have happened fairly often, but that didn't make it any less difficult. It seemed as though they could only manage to spend a week together at a time, if that.

For now, they were simply enjoying each other's company, delighted just to be together and spend an intimate evening alone. After sharing another laugh, Han held Leia's hand across the dimly lit table in silence.

She smiled at him, feeling her heart warm at his gaze, able to tell just by the adoring look in his eyes what he was thinking. She never knew it was possible to be loved so much, or that she could feel the same thing in return. "You didn't finish your dessert," she said as she noticed Han's half-eaten bowl of chocolate mousse. "Didn't you like it?"

"I loved it. I just can't eat another bite."

"Is that so?" Leia said as she leaned over and scooped some of the mousse onto her index finger, bringing it to his lips. "Come on, one more bite."

He leaned in and took her finger into his mouth, tasting the sweetness as he licked every bit of it off her finger with his tongue. "Mmmmm. Delicious. And I'm not talking about the dessert."

"That's too bad. Took me three hours to whip it up from scratch."

He gave her his famous grin before he reached up and brushed his thumb along her cheek. "I don't know how I can possibly leave you so often."

"I know the feeling. Unfortunately, we both realize that there's more in life than just the two of us."

Han nodded in silent agreement, wishing that didn't have to be the case. Although they were the most important aspects of each other's lives, they still held other responsibilities. "Luckily, it doesn't have to be that way all the time. Tonight, you're all there is for me, Leia."

He leaned in and kissed her softly as she tasted the sweet chocolate on his lips. After a few moments, they parted and Leia opened her eyes to see Han looking to her expectantly, his hazel eyes almost dancing as they reflected the flickering candlelight. She let a small smile tug at her lips and then leaned over and blew out the two candles that illuminated the table. Standing, Han offered his hand to Leia before guiding her into their bedroom, where they stopped for a moment and stood at the foot of the bed,. Staring into each other's eyes they felt the familiar heated desire building between them.

Han reached up and undid the clasp that held Leia's hair up and let it fall over her shoulders, running his fingers through the silkiness. Tracing his fingers lightly over her skin, he slowly slid her robe down her arms and to the floor. She was reminded again of how lucky she was to have found someone she loved and trusted so much, and it was because of that love and trust that she could allow herself to become completely vulnerable to him at times like this.

There was a time in her life when that idea frightened her, and it had taken Han a long time to break down the barriers Leia had built up to guard herself. She wasn't sure how she kept them up for so long, or why she wouldn't let herself give in to what she felt for him sooner. All she knew was that she was overjoyed when she finally let him in, and now she was his and nothing else mattered.

They spent much of the evening moving in a familiar rhythm and savoring the love and pleasure they brought to one another. Hours later, when sleep was finally beckoning, Han looked into Leia's beautiful brown eyes, relishing the thought that he was the reason for the look of love and contentedness so evident on her face. It never failed to warm his once-lonely heart whenever she looked at him that way. For the first few years he had known her, he wasn't sure if she was even capable of being happy. Luckily, he had managed to change all that, and he had silently vowed to give her every reason to smile for the rest of her life.

"I love you," he said as he stroked the hair away from her forehead.

"I know," she smiled back and pulled his face to hers to kiss him again.

He pulled away for a moment to respond. "You're never gonna let me live that one down, are you?"

She didn't even hesitate to answer. "Nope."

"I love you more for that."

"And I love you."

"I know." They shared one last kiss before Han rested his head on the pillow beside Leia's. As much as she loved the intimate moments she got to share with her husband, Leia had to be back at work the next day and Han had to leave early too. They wanted nights like this to last forever. Knowing they never could, they made sure to never let an opportunity for physical intimacy pass them by. It wasn't long before they were finally sleeping peacefully in each other's arms, awaiting the morning where they would be forced to say goodbye again.

Han awoke first to find his wife sound asleep against his side, and he was unable to keep himself from smiling at seeing her sleeping so peacefully. He knew how much she had been through and how hard she worked, and it was nice to see her getting some well-deserved rest. He would have loved to spend all day there with her in that bed, and although there were times when they were able to do just that, he was running out of time before he had to leave. When he couldn't put it off any longer, he slowly pulled his arm out from under Leia's head and tried not to disturb her. Being a notoriously light sleeper, her eyes opened almost immediately.

"Sorry, I was trying not to wake you," Han said.

Leia's voice came back, sleepily. "You know that's impossible. It's okay. I wanted to say goodbye before you left, anyway."

"I wasn't gonna leave without saying goodbye, I just thought maybe you could get in a few more minutes."

"Too late. I'm up now."

"Well, at least I tried." He leaned down and kissed her forehead and then walked to the 'fresher to prepare for the imminent departure.

Leia put on her robe and went into the kitchen to get something for breakfast. Han wouldn't have time to eat anything before he left, so she just grabbed a piece of fruit and sat down to watch the morning holo news vid.

A few minutes later, Han entered, dressed and clean-shaven. "Time to go?" Leia asked.

"Unfortunately, once again," he replied.

Leia walked over to him and absently fixed the collar of his shirt. "You be careful."

"Hey, it's me."

Leia couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't changed much. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," he said just before leaning down to give her a lingering kiss.

They tightly embraced, absorbing all the warmth they could to hold them over until they were reunited again. "I'll see you in two weeks," Leia said against Han's chest.

"Yep. You just promise to be here when I get back. I hate it when I'm gone, and when I finally get back you're off on some mission of your own. I mean, what's the use of coming home if you're not even going to be here?"

"I'll be here. There's no travelling on my schedule for a little while, at least."

"Great, keep it that way." He kissed the top of her head and then stood back to look at her. "Bye, sweetheart."

"Bye, flyboy." He kissed her quickly one last time and went on his way, leaving her alone in their now all-too-empty apartment.